Leading off . . .
 >>TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabod softball team will step out of MIAA play for a pair of doubleheaders against two former conference foes as they will face Missouri-St. Louis (at Lindenwood's softball complex) and Missouri S&T on Wednesday and Thursday before returning to MIAA play with a scheduled doubleheader on Saturday against Emporia State which will be played at Lawrence Free State High School starting at 4:30 p.m.
 >>The Ichabods and Missouri-St. Louis doubleheaders have been moved to Lindenwood's softball complex on Wednesday.
 >>The Ichabods have won their last four games after two doubleheader sweeps over MIAA opponents Lincoln and Lindenwood.
 >>Thanks to Mother Nature, the Ichabods have had 15 games canceled so far this season.
 >>Washburn finished the 2018 season with a 39-14 record going 23-3 in MIAA play winning its first conference title since the 2002 season.
 >>The Ichabods also made their first NCAA postseason appearance since the 2008 season last year.
 
 Weekend recap . . .
 >>The Ichabods were 4-0 after opening the conference with doubleheader sweeps over Lincoln and Lindenwood in twin bills played at Kansas City Kansas Community College due to unplayable field conditions in Topeka as the field on Washburn's campus is still under renovations and not completed yet.
 >>Samantha Stallbaumer batted .583 last week in four games with seven hits and five runs scored stealing four bases.
 >>Halle England had a .429 batting average with three hits and four RBI.
 >>Savannah Moore made her first appearance at first base in an Ichabod uniform and led the team with 5 RBI in four games collecting five hits with two runs scored  and 2 doubles.
 >>Bailey Zuniga was 3-0 with a 0.98 ERA in two starts and three appearances as Washburn swept a pair of doubleheaders against Lincoln and Lindenwood. Against Lincoln in the opener, she scattered four hits with one strike out in an 8-0 five winning win and in the first game against Lindenwood she came in the game in relief pitching 2 1/3 innings allowing one earned run getting the win in relief. In game two against the Lions she pitched the complete game allowing one earned run with five hits in a 7-2 win. She pitched a total of 14 1/3 innings giving up two earned runs allowing 12 hits.
 
 Stat Watch . . .
 >>Savannah Moore went over the 100 runs scored mark last weekend.
 >>Moore's 39 doubles and is now tied for 10th all-time at Washburn.
 >>Moore's 24 home runs is tied for seventh all-time at Washburn.
 >>Moore's 132 RBI is sixth all-time at Washburn needing eight more to move into the top five all-time.
 >>Samantha Stallbaumer's 45 stolen bases are fifth all-time at Washburn.
 
 On Deck . . .
Missouri-St. Louis
 >>The Tritons are 9-11 this season and have won their last four games.
 >>The Ichabods lead the all-time series 6-3 and the two schools have not met since March 1, 2008 when the Ichabods were known as the Lady Blues.
 
Last Meeting with UMSL - March 1, 2008
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Washburn's Tish Williams broke a scoreless tie in the top of the seventh inning with a solo home run to left for the only run of the game. The hit was also the only hit for the Lady Blues in the opener as Washburn had its first 18 batters retired. Washburn's Kelly Swygert scattered four Triton hits while striking out three.
 
Missouri S&T
 >>The Lady Miners are 4-12 this season.
 >>The Ichabods lead the all-time series 19-8 and have won the last two overall.
 >>The last meeting between the two schools was on Feb. 28, 2019 when the ichabods won 14-4.
 
Last Meeting with Missouri S&T - Feb. 28, 2010
JOPLIN, Mo. -- Washburn scored 12 runs over the first three innings holding the Lady Miners scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning.
After the Lady Blues scored a solo run in the top of the first on an RBI by Ashley Podschun, the Lady Blues exploded for six runs in the top of the second capped by 2-RBI singles by Lindsey Himpel, Jacque Horejsi and Alex Zordel.
Washburn (5-5) scored five more in the third inning capped by a grand slam by Horejsi pushing the lead to 12-0. The Lady Miners added three in the third. In the fifth inning, Tish Williams hit her 51st career home run moving with two of breaking the MIAA's career home run record.
Kortnea Morgan picked up her first collegiate win striking out six scattering six hits allowing four runs.
 
Emporia State
 >>The Hornets are 5-14 this season going 1-3 in their opening weekend with Lindenwood and Lincoln.
 >>The Hornets were swept by Lindenwood and split with Lincoln.
 >>The Hornets lead the all-time series with the Ichabods 88-55-1, but Washburn has gone 3-2 in the last five meetings.
 
Last Meeting with Emporia State - April 26, 2018
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- In the opening game of the MIAA Tournament, the Ichabods fell 3-0 to Emporia State after the Hornets scored all three of their runs in the opening inning. The Ichabods were limited to three hits with one each coming from Samantha Stallbaumer, Alyssa Carney and Lexie Myers and Washburn stranded five runners overall.
Megan Deiter took the loss scattering five hits falling to 17-2 on the season while ESU's Kelsey Phillips moved to 9-9 on the season.
 
 Where to follow . . .
 >>Fans can also follow the Ichabod softball team at @IchabodSB for updates as well at the athletic department twitter handle at @wusports.
 
 Last time out. . .
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team used big innings in each game to sweep an MIAA doubleheader with Lindenwood improving to 4-0 in the league and 11-11 overall.
Game 1 – WU 7, LWU 5
The Ichabods exploded for a five-run sixth inning to rally from a 3-2 deficit for a 7-5 win in game one of the doubleheader.
The Lions scored two runs in the top of the third before the Ichabods knotted the score at 2-2 after tallying a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. After Winter Henry led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch, Ashley Ruder singled driving in Henry. Ruder would then swipe second base and move to third on a ground out before scoring on a wild pitch.
Lindenwood responded with two runs of its own to go up 4-2 and then added a solo run in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Washburn started out with back to back singles by Bri Francis and Ruder and after Emilee Baker was hit loading the bases, Halle England scored Francis with a sac fly and then Ruder would score on a wild pitch. Brianna Fuchs's double to left drove in Baker and then Savannah Moore's single sent home Samantha Stallbaumer who walked on four pitches. Taylor Kirk then singled driving in Fuchs putting the Ichabods up 7-5.
Washburn's Bailey Zuniga finished the game tossing the final 2 1/3 innings retiring the Lions in order in the seventh picking up the win improving to 3-2 on the season with a pair of strikeouts.
Moore finished with three hits in the opening game and Ruder scored two runs with two hits
Game 2 – WU 7, LWU 5
The Lions scored a solo run in the top of the first taking the early 1-0 lead and took advantage of an Ichabod error adding an unearned run in the top of the third to go up 2-0.
The Ichabods cut the lead in half on a Taylor Kirk single to shortstop scoring Samantha Stallbaumer who singled and stole second. A pinch-hit single by Sienna Hall drove in Kirk and then Maddie Stipsits drew a bases-loaded walk scoring Winter Henry who reached via a single to left putting Washburn up 4-2. Halle England then cleared the bases with a double to center scoring Stipsits, Ruder and Francis to go up 7-2 after three innings.
Zuniga picked up her second win of the day tossing the complete-game five-hit game allowing one earned run improving to 4-2.
Stallbaumer, Kirk, England and Winter Henry each had two hits in the game.
 
 Head coach Brenda Holaday . . .
 >>is 75-55 in her third season as the Ichabod head softball coach.
 >>coached the previous 19 seasons at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka compiling a 351-93 record.
 >>led the Junior Blues to three 6A state championships as well as winning 14 league championships earning 16 6A state tournament berths, five second-place state finishes and three third-place state finishes and was inducted into the Washburn Rural High School Hall of Fame in 2018.
 >>was named the Centennial League Coach of the Year and City Coach of the Year nine different times earning the Midwest Sectional Coach of the Year in 2011 and the 6A Kansas Coach of the year two times in 2008 and 2011 and was named the overall Kansas Coach of the Year in 2011.
 >>while at Washburn Rural, she coached more than 40 players who have gone on to play college softball including three at the NCAA Division I level including former Ichabod head softball coach Lisa Carey, the winningest coach by wins in program history.
 
 Washburn Ichabod softball history . . .
 >>The Ichabods are 1139-877-1 in their 50th year of softball.
 >>The Ichabods have made four NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008, 2018).
 >>Washburn won the 2002 and 2018 regular season MIAA titles.
 
 Up Next . . .
Washburn is scheduled to play in the Missouri Western Regional Crossover in St. Joseph, Mo. facing six NSIC schools starting March 22 running through March 24 before returning to Topeka with MIAA doubleheaders scheduled against Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State on March 29 and March 30.